Daffy Duck: Prime Suspect
by sbartist357
Summary: After a heated argument over the script of "Rabbit Fire," Daffy swears that Bugs will pay for stealing his fame. The next day, Bugs disappears. When Daffy becomes the main suspect, he must try to prove his innocence and find out what really happened. (Classic Looney Tunes Universe)
1. Six Shots Too Many

**Hello, people! I managed to come up with another idea for a Looney Tunes story! :D I'm glad that it didn't take me forever! ;) Again, for those of you who are not familiar with me, I'm new at writing stories for Looney Tunes, but I've received such a good response from my first one that I figured that I should get another one out there. So, without further chit-chat from me, enjoy the chapter!**

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It was a lovely day in the Warner Brothers Studio. Everyone was getting ready to film the first-ever Bugs, Daffy, and Elmer episode, "Rabbit Fire". The atmosphere had a sense of buzzing excitement, and it appeared that filming a cartoon with Daffy in it was going to be free of trouble for once. That was until said duck got into one of his moods.

"WHAT?! I get shot by Elmer six times!? They can't do this to me!" Daffy screamed as he stormed out of his dressing room and onto the set. Bugs and Elmer were already there. The duck walked right past them to confront the director, Chuck Jones.

"Hey, Chuck! What's the meaning of this?" He pointed angrily at the script.

"Meaning of what?" Jones asked innocently.

"Of this!" Daffy practically shoved the booklet in the man's face. "I get shot at six times, by ELMER?!" He turned to the hunter, who was making sure his gun was ready for shooting (no pun intended).

"And another thing," The duck continued. "Blue Cross Blue Shield upped my rates; I can't take more than four bullets per scene. And besides, my bullet proof vests are getting quite thin. I'm going to have to buy some replacements, and don't think that they're cheap, brother! I always get it in the end, always getting shot, but no, not Bugs Bunny! He's always the winner, the hero, number one! But not me, ol' Daffy! The little black duck, who always gets the worst of it, the best one of all the Looney Tunes!" He paused to catch his breath.

"Oh, sorry, Chuck Jones, for getting all hysterical. So, what do you think? Do you think I made a point?" Jones looked at him blankly.

"Uhh. . . yeah." He said. Daffy exploded again.

"That's all you got to say?! 'Uhh. . . yeah'?! After I share my frustration, in every relevant category and subject, all you got to say is 'Uhh. . . yeah'?!" Bugs glanced over at Daffy.

"Well, I think I'd better go over there and calm him down." He said to Elmer as he started walking.

"Wight." Elmer agreed. The hunter continued prepping his gun. In the meantime, Daffy kept blabbering to the director.

"Furthermore, come to think of it, being that I'm the one doing most of the acting here, I should be paid top dollar! My feathers are being put in harm's way! Sure, I'm wearing a bullet-proof vest, but that doesn't mean I shouldn't receive compensation! So, what do you say? Don't you think that ought to count for something, Mr. Chuck Jones, sir?" Before Chuck had a chance to answer, Bugs interrupted.

"Ehh, what's up, Chuck?" The director seemed relieved that Bugs had shown up at the perfect time.

"Hi, Bugs!" He greeted him, smiling. The rabbit turned to Daffy.

"What's up, duck?"

"What do you want?" He snapped.

"You forgot to say 'Hi' to us back there when you stormed in like that." Bugs replied jokingly.

"Oh, you know that's not the reason you came over here! Now, what do you want?" The duck yelled.

"Okay, Daff, you got me. I came over to tell you to calm down."

"Now, why did I think you were going to say that?" Daffy retorted.

"Look, Daffy, I know that you're not thrilled about the idea, but that's show biz. I don't always like what I have to do, either, but-" Daffy completely lost it. He jumped up and down in frustration and shook his fists in the air. Bugs took a step back to avoid getting hit in the face.

"It's always about you! Everywhere I go, it's 'Bugs this' and 'Bugs that'! Well, I'm sick of it! You stole my stardom the minute you came into show business! Everything was just fine until you showed up, and mark my words: I'M GOING TO GET YOU FOR THAT!" Daffy threw the script book on the ground and stomped off of the set. Everybody stared at him, stunned. Jones scratched the back of his neck uncomfortably.

"Well, we can always start filming later, I guess. . ." He mumbled. Bugs pulled out a carrot and nibbled on it.

"No, it's okay. We can still do a couple scenes of the cartoon without Daffy." Chuck smiled at him.

"Thanks, Bugs."

"No problem, mac." Bugs returned to the scene. Elmer met him at the prop rabbit hole on the stage.

"Is that scwewy duck going to be okay?"

"Yeah, he always gets like that. He'll cool down; Daffy never means what he says when he's angry, anyway." Chuck Jones grabbed the director cone next to his chair and talked into it.

"Okay, everyone! Get in position!" Bugs jumped into the hole and Elmer went to his starting position a short distance away from it.

"Alright! Quiet on the set! And. . . ACTION!"

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 **Well, I hope you liked the first chapter! :) By the way, this story will have a lot of references to other Looney Tunes episodes, be on the lookout for those (I'll usually point them out at the end of the chapters)!**


	2. After the Argument

**Welcome to Chapter 2! :D Sorry that it's so short (yes, it was done intentionally).**

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"And. . . CUT!" Jones called into the director cone. "That's a wrap, folks! We'll finish this tomorrow first thing in the morning - that is, if Daffy's willing." Everybody started grabbing their things and leaving.

"Bugs, do you think Daffy will show up?" Elmer asked the rabbit, who was climbing out of the hole in the stage.

"I don't know, doc. He seemed pretty steamed back there."

"Yeah. How can we get him to come back?" Bugs nibbled on a carrot, thinking.

"Well, we can either just leave him alone, or someone can talk to him."

"What about you, wabbit?" Elmer questioned.

"Something tells me that won't work; my cool, calm demeanor is apparently too much for him." Bugs replied, smirking. Elmer nodded in agreement.

"Well, hopefully, he comes back; I'll have fun shooting him," Elmer laughed. "Goodbye, Mr. Wabbit!"

"Bye, Elmer!" The hare waved as the hunter walked away. Bugs started to head back to his dressing room when Chuck called him over.

"Bugs!" The bunny approached the director's chair.

"Yes?" Bugs replied.

"Can you talk to Daffy to see if he'll come back?"

"Well, you see, I was just discussing that with Elmer, and-"

"Great! I knew I could count on you, Bugs! I hope you'll be able to convince him!" The director slapped Bugs on the back and left, leaving him standing there. The hare twitched his nose in annoyance.

"Why do I always have to do everything?" He asked himself as he finally exited the filming area to go to his dressing room. Daffy's room was directly across from his. Bugs glanced at the door for a minute, then stepped into his own room.

It wasn't a very big space, but it was cozy. On the side wall was a dresser and mirror with a bucket of ice filled with carrots on the floor next to it. Opposite that was a blue couch with matching pillows. Not surprisingly, there were several paintings of carrots hanging on the walls.

Bugs took a seat in front of the mirror and gently stroked his long ears (they were slightly singed from the shot Elmer fired just above his head for the scene they were filming). He reached into the bucket of carrots, pulled one out, and proceeded to chew on it.

"I should probably try to talk to Daffy again." He said to himself. Bugs walked out of the room and raised his hand to knock on Daffy's door, but stopped.

"Eh, my conscience tells me that's not a good idea." He turned away from the dressing room and reentered his. He grabbed the remaining carrots from the bucket to save for later and headed home. Unbeknownst to him, however, someone was watching.

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 **Hmm. . . So, yeah, I left it on a cliffhanger. Sorry! The next chapter is longer! :)**


	3. Bugs Disappears

**Welcome back! I'm sure you were all waiting to read this chapter! I'm terribly sorry about the wait! Oh, and I got my first couple of reviews for this story! Thank you so much! :)**

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The following day at the studio, the cast and crew for "Rabbit Fire" returned to the set to finish filming. Hopefully, Bugs had talked Daffy into coming back so they could. Elmer was already there, practicing his shooting stance. Chuck Jones looked at his watch. It was 9AM. The director grew slightly concerned; they were supposed to start filming at 8:30. It wasn't like Bugs to be late.

"Hey, Elmer!" Have you seen Bugs?" He called.

"No, I haven't." The hunter shrugged. Chuck turned to his fellow crew members.

"Have any of you seen Bugs?" They all shook their heads.

"Well, start looking around the studio," Jones ordered. "I'll try to call him." The production crew began looking in different parts of the studio. Meanwhile, the director grabbed a phone that was sitting on a stool nearby and dialed Bugs's number. It started ringing.

"Come on, come on. Pick up." Jones whispered to himself. There was no answer. He put the phone back on the hook and shook his head.

"Where could he be?" He asked. A short distance away, Daffy was walking from the dressing room area to another part of the studio.

"Daffy!" Chuck called to him. The duck stopped and looked at him.

"Yeah?"

"Come here, I need to talk to you!" Daffy went over to him.

"What is it, Chuck? Did you consider my request?" He asked excitedly. Jones looked at him; he had forgotten that the silly duck had asked him for a pay raise.

"Uhh. . . no," The duck slouched, obviously annoyed. "I asked you over to see if you knew where Bugs was."

"No, I haven't seen him at all today. Why?"

"He was supposed to be here at 8:30, but he hasn't shown up yet." Daffy blinked in surprise; even he knew that Bugs never showed up late.

"Well, did you try calling him?" The duck questioned.

"I did. There was no answer." Daffy realized that something was definitely wrong; Bugs always answered his telephone, no matter what he was doing.

"Did you look around the studio?" Just then, some of the men from the production crew returned.

"Mr. Jones, we checked all over! We can't find Bugs anywhere!" One of them said. Daffy looked back at the director.

"Well, since you can't find Bugs, I can do his parts for him. I know all the lines." Chuck stared at him and scratched his chin, suspicious.

"Hmm. . ." He said, thinking. "Daffy, did you have something to do with Bugs's disappearance?" The duck looked at him, shocked.

"What? No! I didn't do anything to him!" By this time, the rest of the crew had come back and were listening to the conversation.

"But you did threaten to make him pay for stealing your fame." Jones continued.

"Yeah, but I was just angry! I never mean what I say when I'm angry!" He insisted. One by one, the other crew members chimed in.

"Well, I heard him say that he should have been the star of this cartoon!"

"Yeah, I said that! But I didn't mean it quite that way!" Daffy replied.

"How about the time that stunt double was supposed to fall off a thousand-foot cliff and you insisted that Bugs should do it himself?" Another man inquired.

"I figured he could do it! I wasn't trying to get him hurt or anything!"

"And I even heard you claim that you were the best of the Looney Tunes!" Someone else shouted. Daffy pointed at him.

"Okay, that was said out of sheer honesty." Everyone started talking at the same time. Jones raised his hands and tried to get their attention.

"Quiet, everybody!"

"Quiet! Quiet on the set! I said quiet! Quiet, everybody! AHH, SHUT UP!" Daffy shouted. The place grew silent.

"I had nothing to do with Bugs's disappearance." He stated.

"I'm sorry, Daffy, but you have nothing to prove it. Unless you can find evidence to support your claim, I have no choice but to report you to Mr. Warner and you will be fired and arrested." Daffy gulped. Suddenly, he got an idea.

"I'll prove myself innocent! Don't worry, Mr, Chuck Jones, sir! I'll find out what happened to Bugs if it's the last thing I do!" And with that, he ran off the set, leaving everyone speechless.

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 **So, Daffy Duck is going to prove his innocence! We'll see how his investigation goes in the next few chapters. Prepare for more mystery, drama, and humor! ;) Oh, the thousand-foot cliff part was a little inside joke (it's a reference to "The Heckling Hare" from 1941). :) Keep the reviews coming and thanks for all of the favorites/follows! :)**


	4. The Dressing Room

**Welcome to Chapter 4! I don't have a whole lot to say this time, except I'd like to thank everyone for making this story my most popular story this month! :D I can't tell you how much I appreciate it! Anyway, please continue! :)**

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Daffy went into his own dressing room first. Unlike Bugs's room, Daffy's had more furniture and looked more extravagant (not surprising). While Bugs's dresser and couch were along the left and right sides of the room, respectively, Daffy's were switched. In the back left-hand corner of the room was a plain, wooden treasure chest; an accordion-style divider stood in the other (the kind people dress behind). A red, rectangular rug with gold trim lay in the middle of the floor. Last but not least, several pictures of lakes and swamps hung on the walls. Daffy also had a picture of himself sitting on the dresser.

He walked over to the chest in the corner and opened it. Inside was a bunch of clothes and accessories. The duck tossed them all over the place until he found what he was looking for.

"Aha! There it is!" He exclaimed as he grabbed the clothes and went behind the foldable divider to change. A minute later, Daffy came back out and examined himself in the mirror; he was dressed in a Sherlock Holmes costume, complete with hat, pipe, magnifying glass, and green leg warmers.

"Well, don't I look dashing?" He commented conceitedly. "I should wear this for one of my cartoon roles sometime. Now that I have the proper accompaniments, it's time to investigate!" Daffy left his dressing room, stopped in front of Bugs's door, and examined the lock.

"Ha! What a simple break-in this will be!" He opened his plaid trenchcoat to reveal a collection of complex gadgets and tools. Instead of choosing one of the fancy ones, however, he chose a simple paperclip, straightened it out, and put it in the keyhole.

"I'll be in there in no time at all!" As he fiddled with the lock, he accidentally turned the knob. The door swung open and Daffy fell flat on his face; apparently the door was unlocked the whole time.

"Hmmm. . . I guess I should've checked the knob first." He mumbled as he got up and dusted himself off. He flipped the light switch on the wall next to the door.

"Well, let's see if this place has any-" He stopped mid-sentence. The entire room had been completely trashed. All of the pictures on the wall were crooked, the mirror was broken, and the couch was turned over. Daffy couldn't believe his eyes.

"It looks like there was a struggle. Either that or somebody was looking for something." He stated as he walked around the small room. The shattered mirror didn't seem to have anything behind it, so he checked the pictures. Nothing. Whoever destroyed the room appeared to be very thorough, since not a single inch of the room was left untouched. Except. . . Daffy grabbed the edge of the couch and struggled to turn it on its back. It finally did with a thud.

"Phew! There must be a clue somewhere in here." He whipped out his magnifying glass and meticulously scanned the fabric. At the very edge of one of the cushions was a small thread sticking out.

"Hmm. . ." Daffy pulled on it. The thread came out, revealing what looked like the outline of a small patch. It was really easy to not notice with the naked eye; it blended in almost exactly with the rest of the sofa. Daffy lifted the patch up and saw something buried in the stuffing. He stuck his fingers inside and pulled out a small, metal key.

"Now what is a key doing in a couch cushion?" He inquired, scratching his head. At that moment, Daffy heard footsteps heading toward the dressing rooms.

"I'd better get out of here!" He took a cautious step towards the door, not noticing a partially-melted ice cube on the ground. Daffy stepped on it and slipped, creating a racket as he fell. The footsteps came closer. Panicking, Daffy turned the couch upside-down again, turned the lights back off, and dove under the sofa. The doorknob jiggled slightly, then stopped. Whoever it was walked away. The duck quietly crawled out of his hiding place and leaned against the door to listen for any noises. Determining that the coast was clear, he stepped out into the hallway.

"That was close!" Daffy whispered as he shut Bugs's door. He glanced at the key he found.

"I wonder what this is for?" He shrugged as he put it in his pocket and headed into his own dressing room. Fortunately, everything was just as he had left it.

"Well, nobody touched my room," Daffy said to himself, relieved. Suddenly, the lights turned off.

"AHHHHH!" He screamed. The duck felt someone brush past him.

"Hey! Come back here! Show yourself!" He yelled after the trespasser as he hurriedly tried to find the light switch. By the time he got the lights back on, it was too late; the person was gone. Daffy scratched his chin, thinking.

"This is going to require the skills of a hard-boiled gumshoe, such as myself!" He reached for the doorknob but paused.

"Before I go, I better check my life insurance policy to make sure it's up-to-date."

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 **Well, that was a really close call. . . I hope this chapter was interesting! :) Oh, if anyone was wondering about the outfit Daffy's wearing, it's the one he would eventually wear in the 1956 episode "Deduce, You Say!" (I thought it would be perfect for the story). :)**


	5. The Interrogation of Elmer Fudd

**Hello again! As always, thank you for reading my story so far! In this chapter, Daffy will finally start interrogating various suspects. :)**

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Daffy sat down at his dresser and took out a notepad and pencil. He scribbled some notes down about his discovery of the key and the mystery person who was in his room. He turned onto the next page and wrote down a list of possible suspects. Daffy grabbed the key out of his pocket and stared at it.

"Could this have been what that stranger was looking for?" He asked himself.

"Hmm. . . Until I know what this key opens, I'll put it in a safe spot," He hid the key where no one would find it and thought. "Well, if that was what they were looking for, I can pin Bugs's disappearance on them by telling them that I have it. But how?" He suddenly remembered to review his life insurance policy and opened the dresser drawer to retrieve it. Everything seemed to be in order. Just before he put it away, he noticed the price.

"What?! My life insurance policy is $250 a month! Why do celebrities like me have to pay so much for everything?" A lightbulb appeared over his head.

"Wait a minute! I can offer to sell the key for a ridiculous price, say five thousand dollars, and whoever offers to buy it is the culprit! What a great idea! I'll clear my name, catch the thug, solve the mystery, and I'll be five thousand dollars richer!" Daffy returned the paperwork to its proper place, wrote his key-selling plan into the notepad, and put it and the pencil he was using into his inside jacket pocket.

"First stop, Elmer Fudd!" He declared as he left his dressing room. He tried the set for "Rabbit Fire first. It was empty; apparently they had given up on it for the time being. Daffy went back to the dressing rooms to see if Elmer was there. The hunter's dressing room was in the corner of the dressing room area, one hallway over from Daffy's and Bugs's. The duck knocked on the door.

"Come in! It's open!" Elmer's voice called. Daffy entered and almost got shot by the hunter's gun; he dodged just in time.

"Hey!" Daffy shouted. Elmer laughed.

"Sowwy! I was just cweaning my gun and it went off."

"It's a good thing I looked over my life insurance policy." Daffy muttered.

"What?" Elmer asked.

"Nothing, nothing." He replied quickly.

"Now, what can I do for you?" The hunter questioned.

"Oh, I just wanted to ask you some questions. . ." Daffy started nonchalantly.

"Okay. About what?"

"Bugs's disappearance." Elmer froze.

"Wait a minute. Are you twying to incinuate that I had something to do with that scwewy wabbit's disappeawance?"

"No, I'm just trying to get to the bottom of this," Daffy replied, detective-like. "Now, where were you last evening?"

"I was playing cawds (cards) with some fwiends."

"And who are these 'friends' you speak of?" The duck asked, using air quotes.

"Yosemite Sam and Wile E. Coyote."

"I see." Daffy took his notepad out and added Wile E. Coyote's name to his list of suspects; Sam was already on it.

"Anything else?"

"Yes. I found a certain key that I'm willing to sell for a reasonable price."

"How much would that be?" Elmer questioned.

"Five thousand bucks."

"That's supposed to be weasonable?! What makes you think I have that kind of money?"

"Well, if it's finances you're worried about, I can put you on an easy payment plan! Only fifteen months and fifty bucks downpayment!"

"No."

"Eighteen months?"

"No."

"Twenty-one months is as far as I can go."

"No!" Elmer yelled. Daffy sneered.

"No, huh? Well I-" He was interrupted by the sound of Elmer reloading his gun and aiming it at him.

"Get out of here you scwewy duck or I'll bwast you!" Daffy ran out of the room just as Elmer fired. The bullet went through the door and hit a stage light in one of the filming areas, breaking it.

"HEY!" Someone's voice called. Daffy glanced at his pocketwatch.

"Well, this is a good time to question my next suspect!" He ran down the hallway along Elmer's door toward the sets as the man who shouted came from the other hallway. It was (of all people) Chuck Jones. He looked at Elmer's door and, seeing the fresh bullet hole in it, realized what happened.

"Elmer!" He yelled, knocking on the hunter's door. Elmer stepped out of his room to see Jones staring down at him.

"Oh, Mr. Jones!" He began nervously. "What bwings you here?"

"Elmer, what did I tell you about using your gun off of the set?" Jones pointed behind him at the busted stage light.

"I'm sowwy, Mr. Jones!"

"That's going to have to be taken out of your paycheck. Don't let it happen again!" He said firmly as he walked back in the direction from which he came. Once Chuck was out of sight, Elmer scowled and gripped his gun tightly.

"Oh, it's that scwewy duck's fault! I'll fix him!" With that, he reentered his dressing room, set on getting back at Daffy.

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 **Well, that's not good. Things are starting to get more interesting. . . As for Elmer, I only spelled certain words incorrectly (since I didn't want it to be too hard to read). :) Daffy will talk to some more suspects next time.**


	6. The Questioning Continues

**Hi, people! This chapter is the longest one so far (it was originally supposed to be two chapters, but I slapped them together so the story doesn't wind up with over 20 chapters or something). Okay, now that I'm done blabbering, enjoy the chapter! :)**

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The next suspect on Daffy's list was Porky. He figured that the pig didn't have anything to do with the disappearance, but he might know something that would be useful. That and Daffy could maybe chisel him out of five thousand dollars. The duck wandered around the studio until he found the set he was looking for. The sign on the side door read "Production in Progress". He quietly stepped inside.

The scenery was dark and eerie, and sprinklers on the ceiling produced a heavy rain storm. A special light acted like lightning and a huge clap of thunder came from a record player. Everyone was bustling about the set, waiting for the director to show up. Chuck Jones came in through another entrance from where Daffy entered and took a seat at his directing chair.

"What was it, Mr. Jones?" A crew member asked.

"Oh, Elmer Fudd broke one of the stage lights with his gun." He said exhaustedly. Daffy giggled slightly at hearing that Elmer got in trouble. Chuck didn't notice Daffy in the room at all. Porky was already on the set, dressed in a blue hat, brown overcoat, his usual blue jacket and red bow tie underneath, white gloves, and carrying two suitcases.

"Okay, quiet on the set! Cameras!" Jones shouted into the director cone. A stagehand stood in front of the camera with a clapboard.

"This is 'Wearing of the Grin' take one!" He shut the clapboard, carefully avoiding hitting his fingers, and stepped out of the shot.

"And. . . ACTION!" The director called. Porky looked at a sign on the side of the road which read "Sure, and it's still 12 miles to Dublin Town."

"G-Gosh. Twelve miles. I-I'll never make it in this storm," He walked up the winding road to a dull, gray castle. "M-Maybe someone who lives in this here c-castle can p-put me up for the night." He opened the door and stepped inside.

"CUT! Okay, everyone can take an hour break!" Chuck said as he and the rest of the production crew went to get something to eat. Porky came out of the castle and walked down the wet and slippery road to the floor of the stage.

"Psst! Porky!" Daffy whispered, waving him over. The pig took off his wet clothes, grabbed a towel from a metal rack, and headed over to him.

"Hi, D-D-Daffy! What are you d-doing here?" He asked as he straightened his dark blue jacket and red bow tie.

"I wanted to ask you about Bugs's disappearance." Porky frowned.

"Oh. I-It's so t-t-t-tragic. T-The whole p-place doesn't feel the same without him. B-B-But why are you looking for him? I d-didn't think you were c-close friends with B-Bugs."

"Well, we're friends, but that doesn't mean I got along with him all the time, I mean it's not like friends don't fight once in a while!" Daffy stammered defensively. He sighed. "The reason I'm investigating this crime is because everybody thinks that I did something to him."

"T-T-That's not s-surprising."

"I know, my mouth can get me into a lot of trouble sometimes," Daffy admitted.

"I-I'll say. . ." Porky replied. The duck crossed his arms.

"Look, are you going to help me or not?" He asked impatiently.

"S-S-Sure. G-Go ahead and ask me your q-questions."

"Fine. Where were you the evening before Bugs went missing?"

"I-I was working on the set for this cartoon," Porky replied, gesturing toward the stage. "When we finished filming for the n-n-night, I returned to my dressing room to g-g-get my things and leave." Daffy jotted some notes down in his notepad.

"Did you hear or see anything?"

"Well, I saw Bugs leaving the studio as I was exiting m-my room, and we said 'Goodbye' to each other. I r-remembered I forg-got something, so I went back into my d-d-dressing room to g-get it. T-T-That's when I heard noises coming from B-B-Bugs's room."

"What kind of noises?" Daffy inquired, looking up at him.

"I-It was mostly a lot of t-t-thumps and b-banging, like someone was moving stuff around in a h-hurry," Porky said. The duck added some more things to his notes. Porky's story sounded legit; Bugs's room shared its back wall with Porky's and, since the walls weren't super thick, it was possible for Porky to hear loud noises coming from Bugs's dressing room.

"Well, I'm g-going to g-g-get some lunch," Porky said, looking at his watch. "I hope that helped."

"Yes, I think it did. Thanks a lot, Porky!"

"No p-p-problem." The pig started to walk away.

"Oh, I almost forgot!" Daffy called after him. "I have a key that I'm willing to sell you for only five thousand dollars!" Porky smiled and shook his head.

"Sorry, D-D-Daffy! I'm not falling for t-that!" He exited the set, leaving the duck by himself. Daffy snapped his fingers.

"Shucks!" He looked at his list of suspects and tapped the next name on the list: Yosemite Sam. He didn't know where he could find him but, fortunately, he didn't have to search for long; as he left the set for "Wearing of the Grin," he spotted Sam a short distance away, polishing his weapons.

"Hey, Sam!" The duck called as he approached.

"Hey, varmint!" Sam replied in his gravelly voice.

"Can I ask you some questions?"

"Sure. What about?"

"Bugs going missing." Sam squinted at him.

"Are you accusing me of getting rid of him?" He pointed his pistols at Daffy, who raised his hands up in defense.

"No, no! I'm just trying to find out who did!" Daffy explained hurriedly. Sam placed his guns back in their holsters.

"Okay, varmint. Ask your questions, but I warn you: If you imply that I had something to do with that good-for-nothing rabbit disappearing, I'll make you disappear."

"Thank you," Daffy responded calmly, spittle landing on Sam's nose; the man wiped it off, annoyed.

"What were you doing last night?"

"I was playing a game of poker with Elmer Fudd and Wile E. Coyote. It was a pretty good game, too; I won!" Sam laughed.

"Anything else?"

"Hmm. . . Not that I recall. . ." Sam replied, thinking. "Oh, wait! I did see something."

"What?" Daffy asked.

"Well, after the game was over, I walked past Bugs's dressing room and noticed someone watching the door."

"Who?'

"I haven't the faintest idea," Sam answered, shrugging.

"Did you see what they looked like?"

"Nope, they were completely hidden in the shadows; I just saw their eyes."

"Hmm. . . What color?"

"Black, just like yours and mine." Daffy recorded Sam's testimony in his notes.

"They didn't notice you?"

"No, they were too busy looking at the door."

"Okay, then. Well, thanks."

"Yep. Well, I'm going to mosey on down to the saloon and get me a slug." Sam tipped his hat to Daffy and left. The duck looked back at what he wrote about Sam's story.

"Hmm. . . Sam had the same alibi as Elmer. I guess he's innocent. I'll talk to Wile E. Coyote tomorrow just to make sure his story checks out. For now, I'll head back to my dressing room to go over my notes." He walked back over to the dressing room area. Before he opened the door, he thought of something. What if the mystery person was in his room again? Paranoid, Daffy leaned down and peeked underneath the door. He couldn't see anything, so he got back up, took a deep breath, and went inside.

"That's strange. I don't remember turning the lights off when I left. . ." He flipped the light switch and gasped. The room had been searched, just like Bugs's; Daffy's beautiful dressing room was in shambles.

"Oh, come on!" Daffy shouted, stomping his foot in frustration. "Why did they have to trash my room? It was too perfect, too amazing, too-" He stopped and looked around in horror.

"The key!" He rushed over to where he had stashed it and sighed with relief; it was still there. Daffy resumed his complaining.

"What a mess! When I get my hands on that character, I'll-" He scratched his chin; he still had no idea who it was - for all he knew, it could be someone huge, like The Crusher, or Nasty Canasta, or some other big fellow. He whipped out his notepad and wrote their names down before he forgot (as if he could forget big guys like those; the latter was even going to be in a cartoon with him soon).

"I guess I better fix up my room. . ." He sighed wearily as he grabbed the stool for his dresser and placed it right side up. He yawned; he didn't realize how tired he was.

"Oh, I'll fix it up later." He decided as he tiredly turned his couch back onto its feet and collapsed on it, exhausted. He closed his eyes and fell fast asleep.

* * *

 **So, the kidnapper messed up Daffy's room as well. I figured the story needed some more stuff than just questioning people. Yes, I slipped another inside joke/trivia in the chapter (Nasty Canasta made his first appearance in the episode "Drip-Along Daffy", which was aired around six months after "Rabbit Fire". The next chapter adds some more twists and turns! :D**


	7. A Break in the Case

**I have returned! :D Sorry for making everyone wait so long! I hope this lengthy chapter makes up for it! :)**

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The next morning, a knock on the door woke Daffy up with a start.

"Who? What? Where? When? How?" He shouted, looking around. Another knock sounded.

"Oh, the door," Daffy said, coming to his senses. "Coming!" The duck opened the door to see a certain female red-haired duck staring lovingly down at him. She immediately began hugging and kissing Daffy, who was struggling to break free.

"Hello, cutie-pie!" Daffy finally got out of her grasp and fixed his rumpled outfit.

"Business before pleasure please, madam! What brings you here?" He asked. Melissa took a seat on Daffy's sofa.

"I heard that you were looking for Bugs Bunny," She began, gesturing for the duck to sit next to her. "And I figured I could help."

"Why?" Daffy questioned as he took a seat. She leaned over, wrapped her arms around him, and kissed his cheek.

"Because I'm crazy about you, sweetheart!" Daffy pushed her away.

"Stop that! I'm on a very important case! Now, if you don't have anything to show me, I'd like to get back to work, if you don't mind!" He stood up and walked toward the door. She shrugged, unphased, and casually reached into her pocketbook. After finding what she was looking for, she smiled and handed it to Daffy. It was a small piece of paper with a number written on it.

"What's this?"

"It's the number of a safety deposit box that Bugs has in the studio's First National Bank. The key you have might fit into the lock." Daffy stared at her suspiciously.

"Wait a minute. How did you know about the key?"

"You were asking some others about it, silly. Word travels fast, you know." Melissa replied. Daffy scratched his chin.

"Alright, I'll accept that answer for now, but you're not off the hook yet, you evil woman you!" Melissa got up and pinched his cheek.

"That's fine by me, handsome!" He blushed slightly and left his dressing room to follow his latest tip in the investigation, leaving Melissa alone. She observed Daffy's room.

"What a mess! That cute little hunk of feathers deserves better than this."

Meanwhile, Daffy was heading over to the studio bank in the next building over. The Warner Brothers had it made for the Looney Tunes so that they didn't have to deal with crowds of fans outside the studio lot. Just as he reached the front door to the bank, he checked his pockets and sighed.

"Wouldn't you know it? I left the key in my room!" He turned around and began the lengthy walk back to the set building. Upon making it back to his room, he entered and looked around. Someone had cleaned it from top to bottom. He scratched his head in confusion.

"Wasn't this place messy before?" The duck asked himself before shrugging it off. He got the key from it's hiding spot and headed for the door; however, a note on his dresser caught his eye. He picked it up and read it aloud.

 _"To My Favorite Duck,_

 _I noticed your room was in disarray, so I cleaned it up for you._

 _Love, Melissa"_ He sighed.

"Well, at least she did a good job. Poor duck; my attractiveness seems to be a little too much for her." He left the note on the dresser and returned to the bank.

The inside of the studio's bank was bright and spacious. The walls were a pearly white with thin, gold trim; a couple of large windows let in some sunlight. The counter that the tellers sat behind was decorated with fancy gold-colored poles instead of the traditional bullet-proof glass, and the vault in the back was a shiny, polished steel. The whole place had a beautiful Western-theme to it; the designer did a lovely job. Maybe some of the Looney Tunes's future episodes could use the bank for filming. Daffy strolled up to the nearest clerk. The teller was a tall, chubby man with thinning black hair and a stony expression on his face. Daffy looked up at him, puzzled; the man seemed strangely familiar. He let the thought pass before returning to his mission.

"Excuse me, sir. I'd like to inspect the safety deposit boxes; I'm working on a case." He said. The man glared down at him.

"Why should I let you check the safety deposit boxes?" The clerk replied in an irritated tone.

"Like I said, I'm working on a case! Didn't you hear me the first time?!" Daffy shot back. They stared at each other for a few seconds, completely silent. Finally, the clerk sighed and signaled for Daffy to follow him to the back. Once they were in the safety deposit box area, Daffy began his search for Bugs's box. The teller began to leave.

"If you need any further assistance, I'll be in the front. . . Daffy." The duck froze, wide-eyed.

"Now, how did he know my name?" He squinted and scratched his chin, trying to recall when he had seen him before. Again, he dropped the subject.

"Oh, I'll think about that later. Right now, I should focus on this." He told himself as he continued looking. He eventually came across the right one.

"Here it is!" He took Bugs's key and inserted it into the lock. Daffy unlocked it and pulled it out so he could peek inside. The box was filled with carrots. He put the box down and placed his hands on his hips, annoyed.

"Carrots?! All of this drama and investigating, just for carrots?!" Daffy was about to shut the box and put it back when he noticed a small, crumpled piece of paper stashed in between some of the carrots. He grabbed the paper and opened it. There was an address to a particularly shady part of town written on it.

"Hmm. . . 666 Dark Alley Drive. This place doesn't sound life-threatening at all! I'll check it out tonight, but I have a few things to do, first." He closed the box and put it back in its slot. Suddenly, Daffy heard gunshots coming from the front of the bank. He put his hands in his pockets and went to see what was going on. Standing in front of the counter, gun pointed, was Rocky.

"Stick 'em up! This is a bank robbery! Just do as I tell you and no one gets hurt. Mugsy, grab the dough and let's get out of here." His partner nodded and walked toward the back room to start stealing the bank money. Instead of trying to stop them, Daffy calmly headed toward the exit, his hands still in his pockets. As he grabbed the knob of the front door, the bank security guard glanced at him.

"Aren't you going to do something?" He asked. Daffy stared at him.

"Take a number! I can only work on one case at a time!" Daffy pulled out a random slip of paper with the number two typed on it and tossed it at the man. "Besides, you're the security guard - how about you do something?" With that, Daffy left the bank; the guard only stared after him.

* * *

 **Okay, so Daffy finally got a new lead! :) What could this innocent-sounding address be for? And who was the familiar-looking clerk inside the bank? :O Hmm. . . More mysterious pieces of the puzzle are appearing. Keep reading to see what happens next!**


	8. Daffy Closes In

**Yay! I managed to post this chapter before July 10th! :D I apologize for the long wait; I wound up being busier than I thought. :P But I'm back with this new chapter, so please enjoy! :)**

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After leaving the bank, Daffy checked his notes as he walked to the set building. He had already crossed out some of the names, although he still had quite a few left on the list. His thoughts were interrupted by the sound of Rocky and Mugsy. They had successfully robbed the bank were making their getaway. Daffy stepped out of the way to avoid being trampled.

"Come on, Mugsy!" Rocky yelled as he ran by. His partner followed close behind with a giant bag of money in each hand. A few of the dollars fluttered out and left a trail behind them. Daffy stopped for a minute to cross Rocky and Mugsy's names off of his list.

"Well, I guess that puts them out of the picture." He stated. He walked back to his room to set up his final move to catch the kidnapper. He sat at his dresser and flipped to a fresh page.

"Let's see. . . I'll need some props, like chairs, a coffee table, a rug, some dim lighting, curtains. . ." The duck continued writing until his entire notebook was filled up. He sat back and looked at his list with satisfaction.

"There, that should do it. All I have to do now is find an empty set to create the scene and somebody to help me. But who?" He snapped his fingers.

"Porky." Daffy headed to the pig's dressing room and knocked on his door.

"Who is it?"

"It's me, Fat Boy!"

"Okay, D-Daffy, come in!" The duck entered. Porky's room was simple and quaint, with only a few pictures and a vase of flowers in addition to the standard couch and dresser. In fact, Porky's room resembled that of an average person's.

"So, what c-can I do for you, D-Daffy?" The pig asked.

"Well, I'm about ready to wrap up my investigation, but I need your help."

"B-But, how can I help?" Porky inquired. Several minutes later, he found himself struggling to attach a giant chandelier to the catwalk above an empty stage while Daffy relaxed nearby.

"Come on! I can't wait all day!" The duck complained. Porky almost lost his balance.

"Well, excuse me for t-taking so long! Why c-can't you hang the chandelier up?" Daffy looked at him.

"Because I'm too delicate to risk getting injured. Plus, I'm a star, which makes me irreplaceable!" Porky shook his head and continued hanging the chandelier. After a few minutes, he managed to hook it onto the catwalk.

"G-G-Got it!" He exclaimed, wiping sweat from his brow. Daffy stood up and stretched.

"Well, it's about time!" He walked over to the ladder and, without thinking, grabbed the ladder's feet and pulled it over to a blank side wall to add more props. Porky tried to grab onto the chandelier, but it was too late; he fell 20 feet onto the cold, hard floor of the stage. Daffy turned around to see him lying face-down on the ground. He sighed and went to help him up.

"This is a fine time for you to take a nap! We don't have all day!" Porky slowly got up to his feet, dazed. Daffy took his arm and led him over to the ladder.

"What are you t-trying to make, anyway?" The pig questioned, using his free hand to rub his head.

"You'll find out tonight," Daffy said as he let go of Porky's arm and climbed up the ladder. "Hand me that chandelier on the floor, will you?" Porky picked it up and gave it to Daffy, who put it on the wall and held it in place with one hand.

"Give me some nails and that hammer over there." The pig did as he was told. Daffy attached the light fixture to the wall and climbed back down.

"Okay, now we need furniture," Daffy said. He pushed the couch from before into the middle of the stage and looked around. "Hmm. . . It appears we need some more furniture in here, don't you think?"

"I g-g-guess so. Where are you g-going to get more?"

"The prop department, of course! Where else would I get furniture?" Daffy replied.

"B-But you need p-permission to even go in there," Porky said, slightly concerned. Daffy placed his hand on the pig's shoulder.

"Porky, ol' pal, you need to think outside the box. We'll just sneak in, grab the furniture we need and, when this whole thing is over and done with, we'll put everything back before anyone notices. Understand?" Porky brushed the duck's hand off.

"Oh, no. I-I'm not g-going to help you do that! You're on your own! C-C-Count me out!" He turned to leave.

"Fine. But before you go, take this." Daffy pulled a small package from his inside jacket pocket and gave it to Porky.

"What's this?" He asked, holding up some white envelopes with names written on them.

"Those are letters inviting suspects to come here tonight. I'd like you to deliver them for me."

"Ok-k-kay," Porky replied. He looked at the package again and noticed a bundle of clothes. "What are the clothes for?"

"That's a little costume I want you to wear. I think it will help us catch the culprit."

"Uhh. . . Ok-kay." Porky walked off of the set to go deliver the notes.

"Oh, and Porky, be here at seven o' clock sharp!" Daffy called after him. The duck clasped his hands excitedly.

"Prop department, here I come!"

Meanwhile, Porky was on his way to deliver the letters. He checked his watch; it was already 6:25! That was strange - when he left Daffy, he was almost certain it was only 4:00. How time had passed so quickly in just five minutes Porky didn't know. He shrugged it off and decided that slipping them underneath the suspects' doors would be fastest. He leaned down in front of the first dressing room, pushed the note under the door, and left before the person inside could see him. Porky continued the process until all of the messages were sent. He looked at his watch again; it was now 6:45! He knew that time was going faster than it should, but he couldn't worry about that now. The pig ran as fast as he could to his dressing room to change; they had to catch the kidnapper before it was too late.


	9. Whodunnit?

**AHA! I finally did it! Chapter 9 of this story is officially here (super yay)! :D Again, I apologize for the late post! Thanks for your continued support! And now, on with the story!**

* * *

Daffy stared out the window of his completed scene, deep in thought. Everyone who received letters had shown up; all he needed to do now was wait for Porky to arrive before he could put his plan into action. A suspenseful quiet hung in the air; the only sound that could be heard was the incessant ticking of the grandfather clock Daffy had borrowed from the prop department. The duck scratched his chin; he couldn't help feeling that he had forgotten something. Finally, he broke the silence.

"I'll be right back, folks! Don't stir yourselves!" He walked behind some curtains in the corner of the "room" and around the wall to the "outside". Once he was at the other side of the window, he leaned down and turned a small faucet. The sprinklers directly outside the window came on, creating an illusion of rain. Daffy continued past the window, out of sight from the suspects. Suddenly, a tremendous clap of thunder sounded, causing everybody on stage to jump. The duck returned to where he had been standing at the window just moments before. Everyone looked at him.

"Uhh. . . Forgot the ambiance." He explained sheepishly. At that moment, Porky entered. He was now dressed in a quaint brown suit and bluish-gray bowler hat. A dainty white mustache and smoking pipe finished the old-fashioned detective look. The pig took a moment to examine the set. It was absolutely stunning. The whole scene looked like the den of an old mansion; there was a giant staircase in the back corner of the room, vintage-style furniture, tall windows, curtains, an accent rug, and even a working fireplace. Daffy had done an exquisite job; if only he would do such a thing more often, like when his job wasn't at stake.

"Ah, Dr. Watson! Come in, come in!" Daffy greeted as he approached him. Porky looked at him quizzically. Seeing his expression, the duck leaned over to whisper in his ear.

"Just play along, okay?"

"Ok-kay, D-Daffy." He replied. Daffy shook his head and put a hand on Porky's shoulder.

"Look, Porky, if you're going to be Dr. Watson, you have to play the part. Now, try it again." The pig cleared his throat.

"Sorry, old chap, I d-don't know what c-came over me." He said in a British accent, taking a few puffs from his pipe for emphasis. Daffy gave him a slap on the back in approval, causing Porky to cough and almost drop the pipe.

"That's better!" Daffy whispered. He turned to his guests.

"Now, for the business at hand. As you all know, Bugs Bunny. . . is missing." As if on cue, another roar of thunder sounded. After a brief second of silence, he continued.

"I suspect everyone, and I suspect no one," More silence followed. "The way I see it -"

"If you keep stalling, I'm going to blast your ornery hide full of holes!" Yosemite Sam bellowed. Daffy glared at him and placed his hands on his hips.

"Well, if a certain red-haired pipsqueak will be quiet for a minute, I'll get to my point."

"Ooh, you –" Porky rushed over to hold the rambunctious cowboy back so Daffy wouldn't get strangled. The duck continued.

"As I was saying, the way I see it, someone in this very room is, in fact, the culprit."

"But we alweady have alibis." Elmer pointed out.

"True, but that doesn't mean that somebody isn't lying. Now, we can do this the easy way or the hard way. Out of sheer honesty, whoever did not kidnap the bunny, raise your hand." Everyone raised their hands. Daffy looked at them and scribbled something down in his notebook.

"Well, that settles it, case closed." He shut the notepad and started to leave. Porky caught up to him a short distance away from the suspects.

"D-D-Daffy, where are you going? What ab-b-out finding the k-k-kidnapper?" He whispered.

"Well, obviously we didn't find them yet since everybody raised their hands."

"T-That doesn't make them innocent."

"I've done everything I could possibly think of! What else do you expect me to do?" Daffy whispered back, throwing his hands up in the air.

"Aren't you going to at least q-q-question them? I mean, t-that is what this whole set-up is for." The duck raised his hand to stop Porky from saying anything more.

"Wait a minute, let me think. . . I've got it!" I'll simply question the suspects! After all, I didn't set this room up by myself for nothing!" He turned back to the group, leaving Porky to stare after him, dumbfounded.

"AHA! I knew everyone would raise their hands! I was too smart to fall for that one!" Porky face-palmed.

"Now for the real questions! Let's start with. . . Elmer." Daffy pointed to the hunter, who was sitting nervously on a couch. Porky took out his own little notebook to record the conversation.

"So, Elmer, you claimed to be playing cards with Yosemite Sam and Wile E. Coyote, correct?"

"Yes." He replied.

"And that means that you couldn't have possibly kidnapped Bugs, right?"

"Wight."

"WRONG!" Daffy shouted, startling the hunter.

"But you just said that I couldn't have taken the wabbit!"

"Yes, but you could have still been an accomplice! Maybe you playing in a card game was only a distraction to keep us from finding the real culprit!" He paused for a moment. Elmer grew pale with concern.

"Of course, it's just a theory at the moment," Daffy added. The hunter sighed with relief. "But don't think I won't remember it!" Elmer grew concerned again. Porky cleared his throat.

"Just a few more q-q-questions, Mr. Fudd. Were you ever mad enough at B-Bugs to try to hurt him?"

"Many times, but I couldn't get him no matter how hard I twied! I can't even shoot him up close! I can accidentally shoot a stage light but I can't shoot that wabbit!" Daffy stifled a laugh.

"One last q-question," Porky said, puffing on his pipe. "Did you ever p-plot against B-Bugs off the set?"

"Actually, no. I can't believe I didn't think of that." Elmer said, scratching his chin. The pig turned to Daffy.

"You may continue, Sherlock."

"With pleasure." Daffy smiled at Sam mischievously.

"What's the big idea of you staring at me, varmint?" The man growled.

"Oh, nothing. I'm just going to ask you some questions, that's all," He replied innocently. "You also claimed to have been playing cards on the night in question, right?"

"Yes."

"Who's deck of cards did you use?"

"Mine, of course," Yosemite Sam said as he took it out of his pocket. "Why?"

"Let me see those." Daffy pulled out his magnifying glass and studied them closely.

"Aha! Just as I suspected. They're marked!" He tossed them back to Sam. Elmer and Wile E. Coyote, who was sitting casually in a chair by the fireplace, glared at the man.

"Alright, so I marked them. But what does that have to do with the kidnapping?" Daffy raised his finger high in the air to make a dramatic reply but stopped midway.

"I haven't the faintest idea." Suddenly, a telephone on a nearby table rang (yes, folks, Daffy even put a working telephone in the room). The duck walked over and picked it up.

"Hello, Sherlock Holmes speaking. What's on your mind besides your hat?" Everyone in the room groaned.

"Daffy?" An all-too-familiar voice with a distinct New York accent replied. Daffy froze.

"B-Bugs?!" The entire room grew quiet.

"Yeah."

"Where have you been?! We've been worried sick and I –"

"Daffy, I'm in serious trouble. I've been kidnapped and am being held hostage at the Shady Arms Hotel on the other side of town. They want you to deliver $10,000 by midnight tonight or else!" Daffy could hardly believe what he was hearing. Bugs was not the type of character to be kidnapped, let alone held for ransom, but the tone of his voice told Daffy that the rabbit was not kidding.

"They? Who's 'they'?" There was noise on the other end of the line as someone else spoke.

"Listen, duck. You heard your pal. Either you bring us the dough by midnight, or this rabbit gets it." The kidnapper hung up. The duck slowly placed the phone back on the hook and stared at it. After a moment or deafening silence, he spoke.

"Bugs, here I come!" With that, he sprinted off, a group of stunned onlookers behind him.

* * *

 **It just got real, folks. We're approaching the climax of our tale (but don't worry, there will be a ton of hilarity to come)! :) It might have to be posted in two parts depending on the size of it (I'll let you know once it's uploaded). I hope you all enjoyed this chapter!**


	10. The Climax, Part 1: The Meeting

**Why, hello there! It's me again! :D Sorry for dropping off the face of the earth for the umpteenth time, but I was busy with college work and stuff (again). ^^; Thank you to those who reviewed! I really appreciate the feedback! So, I had to cut this chapter into two parts (like I mentioned I might do in the author's note last chapter) because it was almost 5,000 words long. :O This will be the chapter where you'll discover the culprit(s), so yay! :)**

* * *

Daffy was almost past the dressing rooms when he felt a hand on his shoulder. It was Porky.

"W-W-Wait. . . a . . . minute. . ." The pig panted.

"What is it? I don't have a whole lot of time to stand around and talk!" Daffy tapped his foot impatiently while Porky regained his composure.

"I'm c-c-c-c, I'm going with you." He said. The duck smiled slightly; he could probably use some back-up.

"Okay. Let's get the ransom money first." Daffy started walking again, Porky following.

"W-What ransom money?" The pig questioned. Daffy explained what transpired during the phone call to him so that he understood.

"Ok-kay, so where are you g-going to get the money from? The b-bank is closed and -"

"The prop department, Porky. There's tons of phony money in there!"

"B-But, won't the k-k-kidnapper g-get mad when they find out the money is fake?"

"Of course, but I'm not going to just waltz right up to them and hand them actual money from the bank – my paycheck's in there! Now, enough talking and more moving!" They reached the prop department and grabbed $10,000 of fake money and put it into a bag. Daffy also took two guns – one for him and one for Porky.

"B-But, what do we need these for?" The pig asked as Daffy handed him the weapon.

"Just in case those thugs try something. There is no way I'm going to become another hostage, being the star I am." Daffy smiled proudly as he gestured to himself.

"T-T-There's more than one k-k-kidnapper?"

"I'm not entirely sure, but I know one thing – Bugs is not easy to catch, and he definitely wouldn't go down without a fight. It would be pretty much impossible for someone to get him single-handedly." As they left the prop department and headed toward the studio's exit, Porky asked yet another question.

"J-J-Just where is the Shady Arms Hotel?" Daffy reached for the door handle and paused. The kidnapper didn't tell him. He shoved his hands into his pockets to think and felt the folded-up piece of paper he found in Bugs's safety deposit box.

"Wait, I think I have the address!" He pulled the paper out and reread it.

"Oh, right. How could I forget such a forbidding-sounding address like this?" Daffy said to himself as he turned back to his sidekick.

"Come on, Porky! We have a rabbit to save!" He shoved open the double-doors to the outside and they stepped into the cool, moonlit night. The two of them ran to the entrance of the studio lot, holding onto their hats to prevent them from flying away. They stopped at the edge of the sidewalk.

"Yoo-hoo, taxi!" Daffy waved and whistled to get attention. In a matter of seconds, a yellow cab pulled up and they climbed into the back seat.

"The Shady Arms Hotel, 666 Dark Alley Drive, and be quick about it!" The duck instructed.

"Yes, sir." The driver replied in a deep, monotone voice. Soon they were on their way through the streets of Hollywood. Fortunately, the traffic was unusually low for this time of night, and they arrived at their destination in just a few minutes.

"Thanks!" They said simultaneously as they paid the driver and climbed back out. Daffy and Porky walked up to the front of the hotel. The Shady Arms Hotel was a skyscraper with tons of windows and the name of it lit up in bright neon lights at the top.

"Hmm. . . I-I-It seems rather n-n-n-nice for a place with such an eerie address." Porky observed. The two walked inside and quickly discovered why the hotel's location was named the way it was. The lobby was completely in shambles. Cobwebs were everywhere, the furniture was old and battered, and the front desk appeared to have been left unused for a considerably long amount of time.

"Well, then. I wasn't expecting this." Daffy commented, examining the room.

"I-I-It's funny how t-the outside looks nothing like the inside." Porky agreed.

"Well, at least we're here. Now, all we have to do is figure out which room they're in." They stared at the mail slots behind the counter; several hundred lined the wall before them. Daffy looked at Porky.

"What time is it?"

"E-l-l-leven-thirty." He replied after checking his watch.

"Great, we can get through the first 50 with no time to spare." The duck said sarcastically.

 _ **Meanwhile, Somewhere Else in the Hotel. . .**_

"It's 11:30. That duck has just 30 minutes to come here with the money or you're toast." Slug McSlug taunted, looking at the clock on the wall of the hotel room. He turned to check on his captive. Bugs was tied up and gagged in a big burlap sack in a walk-in closet near the front door. The rabbit squirmed around trying to loosen his bonds, but to no avail. The thug smiled. Just then, his accomplice, a short yet well-dressed Southern man came out of the bedroom where he had been checking the street below for any sign of Daffy.

"Any sign of him?"

"No, sir." Colonel Shuffle replied. McSlug sneered.

"Oh, well. I don't care either way as long as we get the dough. The rabbit's going to be in the river soon enough."

"Let's make it the Mississippi; I seem to recall that rabbit causing me to take unnecessary dips in there a few years back." Colonel Shuffle smirked evilly.

"Mmmph!" Bugs yelled in protest. McSlug simply slammed the closet door.

 _ **Meanwhile, Back in the Lobby. . .**_

"Oh, this is preposterous! How are we supposed to save Bugs if we don't even know the room he's in!?" Daffy shouted, exasperated as he looked at the mail slots. They had been standing there for only five seconds when the duck decided to give up. Porky, on the other hand, was trying to remain optimistic that a clue was there somewhere. Finally, he piped up.

"Hey, D-D-Daffy. I think I found something!" He exclaimed, pointing to a slot near him. The duck leaned in for a closer look.

"What? It seems to be just another mail slot." He replied, unimpressed.

"No, t-t-this one isn't d-dusty like the others, see? And t-t-there's a name underneath. . ." Porky squinted to read it. "C-C-Colonel Shuffle. D-Does that sound familiar to you?" Daffy perked up.

"Wait a second. That does sound familiar! I remember Bugs mentioned the name during a filming break for a cartoon he was doing a few years ago. He said the guy was a real card sharp. I don't think he liked Bugs very much, either, considering that he was playing the part of the loser."

"Well, then, how ab-bout we check this room first?" The pig suggested, glancing at the box for the room number.

"Alright. Let's go! There's not a moment to lose!" They ran to the elevator.

 _ **Meanwhile, Back in the Hotel Room. . .**_

"Ha! I've got five aces! What've you got, McSlug?" Colonel Shuffle laughed, tossing his cards on the table for the notorious bank robber to see.

"I've got six aces." Slug McSlug retorted, placing his on the table as well. Shuffle grew angry.

"See? That's exactly what that no-good rabbit did in that cartoon! It's absolutely unfair for the dealer to be out-cheated by the one he's trying to cheat!" Their game was interrupted by the sound of someone knocking on the door. The two got up to answer it.

"Who's there?" Slug asked.

"It's the pizza delivery boy! Who else do you expect it to be?" Daffy answered sarcastically. The thug lowered his weapon and shook his head.

"Nope, it's not him." He told Colonel Shuffle stupidly. The Southerner shoved his partner out of the way and opened the door. Daffy stormed in with Porky following close behind. McSlug shut the door after them.

"Alright, where is he?" The duck questioned sternly.

"Who?" Colonel Shuffle calmly asked.

"The rabbit, you know, the one that you kidnapped! Bugs Bunny! Now, let's see him."

"No. You give us the money first, and then we'll give you the rabbit." McSlug said.

"How about we do an even exchange? I give you the money while you give me the bunny." The thug answered by pointing a gun at him. Daffy paused.

"Well, I'll take your word for it." He took the bag from Porky and handed it to the Southerner. Colonel Shuffle opened the bag and reached in to grab a bundle of money. As he flipped through the bills to check their authenticity, he grew furious.

"Hey, wait a minute! This is stage money!" The man reached for his pistol but stopped when he noticed Daffy and Porky pull out guns of their own first.

"Okay, stick 'em up! You're under arrest! Don't make any sudden moves, or I'll let you have it!" Daffy shouted.

"Grab him!" Colonel Shuffle cried to McSlug, who started to advance on the two.

"Alright, you asked for it!" Daffy pulled the trigger on his gun, only for a flag with the word "Bang!" on it to pop out of the barrel. He stared at it in disbelief.

"Well, what do you know? A toy gun. You can get these for a dollar fifty at the corner store, but as a special 'Don't-Kill-Us Sale', I'll sell you a pack of 10 for just one buck. So, how many should I put you down for, mister?" He stared at McSlug as he continued moving closer before desperately throwing the gun at him and running frantically around the room. Porky pulled the trigger on his gun, squirting water in Colonel Shuffle's face.

"AHH!" The Southern man growled as he rubbed his eyes. Porky quickly turned around and opened the door leading out to the hallway, making his escape. After somewhat clearing his vision, Colonel Shuffle fired a few shots at him but missed.

"Hoo-hoo-hoo!" Daffy shouted. McSlug had him trapped in a corner with no chance of escape. Colonel Shuffle opened the door to the closet while his partner grabbed Daffy and threw him in. They locked the door after him.

In the closet, Daffy slowly picked himself off the floor and tried to adjust to the lack of light.

"So much for that plan. Here I am, Daffy Duck, after trying to cover every possible angle, becoming another hostage. You'd think that someone was actually writing this out as some sort of ironic story or something." He shrugged the thought off and blindly felt around the wall for a light switch.

"Oh, there has to be a switch somewhere." He mumbled. A muffled noise came from his left.

"Mmph!" Daffy jumped back slightly, surprised. He gave up looking for a light switch and thought for a moment.

"Wait! I think I have a flashlight in my jacket pocket!" He reached into his coat and, sure enough, there was one. He turned it on and found a shelf on the far wall to place it. He turned around to see a moving burlap sack. Daffy gasped.

"Bugs! Is that you?"

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 **AHHH! The dreaded cliffhanger! D: What will happen next?! You'll have to wait for Part Two of this chapter (I'm like 90% done with it)! It's guaranteed to have a lot of twists, turns, drama, and humor! Stay tuned! :) Yes, I did kind of break the fourth wall a little near the end there (I figured it would be fun). ;) By the way, Slug McSlug was the bad guy in the 1948 Daffy Duck cartoon "The Stupor Salesman" and Colonel Shuffle was the bad guy in the 1949 Bugs Bunny cartoon "Mississippi Hare". I chose them because 1) They each hated Bugs and Daffy in the episodes and, thus, had good enough motives to be in this story and 2) If I had picked a main Looney Tunes villain, it would've made the story too predictable (I like throwing twists into my stories). X) Let me know what you thought of this chapter (no flames, please)!**

 **UPDATE (12/15/2016): I'm finally done with my college finals and am now officially on Christmas Break (YAY)! :D I can now devote more of my time to getting Part 2 done (I hope to have it up by Christmas).**


	11. The Climax, Part 2: The Escape

**Hi, everybody! I'm sorry (again) for missing my own due date, but I'm back and ready for action! :D Thanks for all the reviews I received for the previous chapter; I enjoy getting your feedback! :) Anyways, here's the second part of the climax. The words in italics are from the end of the previous chapter (as a little refresher).**

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 _"Oh, there has to be a switch somewhere." He mumbled. A muffled noise came from his left._

 _"Mmph!" Daffy jumped back slightly, surprised. He gave up looking for a light switch and thought for a moment._

 _"Wait! I think I have a flashlight in my jacket pocket!" He reached into his coat and, sure enough, there was one. He turned it on and found a shelf on the far wall to place it. He turned around to see a moving burlap sack. Daffy gasped._

 _"Bugs! Is that you?"_

"Mm-hmm!" Even with the gag covering his mouth, he still managed to mumble in a sarcastic tone. The duck rushed over to set him free. He untied the rope at the top of the bag and pulled downward, revealing Bugs tied from head to foot in rope and a white piece of fabric tied around his mouth.

"Sheesh, they really got you this time, didn't they?" Daffy noted. Bugs nodded in response. After Daffy cut him loose, Bugs tore the gag off his mouth and stretched.

"Ah, much better. If I had been like that much longer, I might have turned into a pretzel."

"Glad to see you still have your sense of humor."

"Yep." They both stared at each other for a minute before Daffy spoke again.

"Might I inquire as to how you got into this mess?" Bugs shook his head.

"Look, I'd love to tell you the whole thing, Daff, but right now we should find a way out of here. Those two thugs are planning on killing us at midnight. What time is it now?" The duck looked at his watch.

"It's 11:40. That gives us 20 minutes."

"Well, that's better than nothing. I heard them lock the door behind you when you were tossed in here, so we need to escape some other way." The two of them looked around.

"Maybe one of the walls might lead to another room!" Daffy pushed some clothes aside and began banging on the wall. Suddenly, a huge bag of tools slid off the shelf overhead and landed on top of him. Bugs, who was looking through the keyhole in the door for signs of the criminals, turned around to see Daffy lying on the floor. He went over to help him up.

"Hey, where did you get the tools?"

"On the head," Daffy grunted, getting to his feet. The rabbit started rummaging through the tool bag to find something that would help. He eventually pulled out a hand drill and a saw.

"Hey! I could use this drill to make a hole in the wall, and you can use the saw to cut an opening for us to get out." Bugs handed the saw over to Daffy and began twisting the drill into the wall to make an opening big enough for the saw to fit into. Once that was accomplished, Daffy went to work.

"So, I know we don't have time for the whole story about how you got kidnapped and all, but after you wound up here, how come you couldn't free yourself?" The duck asked as he continued sawing.

"You see the bag and rope? Those aren't toon props, doc. They're real. You and I both know that toons can't use toon physics on real-world items." Daffy paused to look over at the items in question; they were, in fact, real.

"Well, then. That explains it, all right."

"Say, what time is it now?" Bugs inquired. Daffy glanced at his watch again.

"It's 11:55, that's all. ELEVEN FIFTY-FIVE?!" The duck took the saw in both hands and cut out the rest of the hole so fast that even Bugs was surprised.

"Hmm. . . Eh, nice work, Daff. I didn't know you had it in you to do something like that." The rabbit commented. Daffy was still panting slightly from the random rush of adrenaline but quickly regained his composure as they pushed the piece of drywall out and stepped into the room on the other side. This room had two twin beds, some nightstands, and a large dresser against the far wall near the door.

"Looks like we're in a bedroom," Daffy noted.

"No kidding, Sherlock." Bugs replied, smirking. The duck ignored him and went over to the door. He peeked through the keyhole.

"Do you see anything?" The rabbit asked.

"Yeah. The two goons are still there, and they look like they're getting ready to finish us off." Daffy whispered. Bugs walked over to the huge dresser nearby and got ready to push it.

"Here, help me push this against the door so they can't get in." The duck took hold of the other side and together they moved it into position.

"Okay, so the door's taken care of, but what about the giant hole in the wall?" Daffy said, pointing over to said hole.

"Good point. Let's just place that piece of the wall back to make it look less obvious."

"Righto." They rushed over and replaced it. Just as they finished, they heard the closet door being unlocked. Daffy panicked.

"AHH! They're going to find us! What are we going to do?" Bugs walked over to the window and opened it.

"I guess this is our only way out, doc. There's a ledge out here that we can walk on." The rabbit climbed out and beckoned Daffy to follow.

"Hey! They escaped!" McSlug's voice echoed from behind the wall. The duck scrambled over to the window and onto the ledge beside Bugs before shutting the window behind him. They both looked down.

"That's quite a drop." Bugs observed.

"You said it. How high do you think we are?" Daffy questioned.

"Oh, I'd say about 10 floors." He replied casually. They cautiously inched their way along the ledge and around the corner of the building. Everything was going smoothly until a flock of pigeons blocked their path.

"Oh, come on! Just as we're trying to escape two kidnappers, a dumb flock of birds has to land on the ledge right in front of us!" Daffy complained. Bugs got on his knees to try and shoo them away.

"Come on, little pigeons, go find another ledge to perch on." He waved his arms to get them to move, but they just walked a few feet away. He carefully stood up and turned back to Daffy.

"Well, that's not going to work well, is it?" Bugs sighed. A symphony of police sirens coming from the street caused them to turn around and shuffle back to the corner of the building. A bunch of police cars lined the edge of the road in front of the hotel.

"Alright, come out with your hands up! We know you're up there!" An officer holding a megaphone shouted.

"That was good thinking there, Daff! I didn't know you called the police." Bugs complimented, patting Daffy on the back gently as to not accidentally push him off.

"I didn't. It must have been Porky."

"Wait, Porky was with you?"

"Yeah. He wanted to tag along and help, so I let him be my sidekick." Daffy responded, brushing his jacket with one hand in a modest way.

"That figures. Hey, how about we go back into the room? The police look they'll keep those no-good thugs busy." Bugs suggested, pointing toward a group of officers running to the front door of the hotel to prove his point.

"Fine. It's better than staying stuck up here." They headed back to the window.

"Hey, Daff. Why don't you take a peek inside to see if the coast is clear?"

"What?! Why don't YOU take a peek inside?" The duck shot back.

"I can't, doc. You're closer to the window than I am."

"How about you just go around me?" Daffy suggested.

"Yeah, sure. I go to step around you and drop 10 floors." Bugs replied flatly. As the two of them continued quarreling out on the ledge, the police officers began banging on the front door of the hotel room.

"Open up! This is the police!" One officer shouted. The criminals looked at each other in panic.

"What do we do now?" McSlug asked. Colonel Shuffle ran into the closet and out the hole Bugs and Daffy made, his accomplice close behind. They stopped at the window.

"We'll have to make our escape through the window. Come on!" Shuffle lifted the glass pane and stepped onto the ledge. McSlug did the same. To their pleasant surprise, Bugs and Daffy were standing right there, too busy arguing to even notice them.

"Alright, so what if it is 10 floors down? What's a fall to you? It's not like you haven't done any in your cartoons before!" The duck yelled.

"That's true, but -" Bugs stopped short as he realized they had company. He nervously pointed behind the duck.

"Uh, Daff. I don't know if you've noticed, but it seems to have gotten a little crowded out here." Daffy stared at him incredulously.

"What are you talking about? It's just us and those stupid pigeons around the corner. And why are you pointing behind me?" He turned around to see Shuffle and McSlug smiling at him, then calmly turned back to Bugs.

"Crowded, you say? Why, yes, I believe I have noticed," He paused for a minute. "AHHHHH!" Bugs and Daffy began shuffling as fast as possible to the corner of the building as McSlug and Shuffle followed close behind. As they turned around the bend, the police officers, who had by this time made their way into the hotel room, popped their heads out of the open window.

"Hey, stop in the name of the law!" They all climbed out and gave chase. Now Bugs, Daffy, Shuffle, McSlug, and a bunch of policemen were making their way along the edge of the Shady Arms Hotel. Bugs reached the same group of pigeons from before but, instead of trying to gently shoo them away, kicked them instead. A cloud of feathers and angry squawks filled the air.

"Darn pigeons!" Bugs grumbled as he moved onward. Behind the two, Colonel Shuffle and his accomplice continued chasing after them.

"Hey, you! Stop! We're not done with you yet!" McSlug bellowed, attempting to fire a couple of shots at them. Daffy lowered his head and pushed himself against Bugs for protection, causing said rabbit to stumble. Fortunately, he quickly regained his balance and kept going. A few seconds later, after passing a second corner, they hit a dead end.

"Hey, why did you stop? They're right behind us!" Daffy shrieked, still clinging to the bunny's back.

"It's a dead end, doc." Bugs said, prying his pal off him and pointing to the wall. They stared in horror as Shuffle and McSlug slowly advanced toward them.

"It's the end of the line, boys." Colonel Shuffle sneered, pulling his pistol out. The rabbit glanced at his friend.

"Well, it looks like it's curtains for us, Daffy." He said, concern in his voice.

"Curtains?! CURTAINS?! You, Bugs Bunny, are just going to give up? I worked too hard finding you just to have it all end this way. No, if they want to get rid of us, I'm not going down without a fight. I'm not going to run anymore!" He declared, pointing high into the air.

"Uhh, Daff, it's not that you won't run anymore, it's that you can't run anymore." Bugs corrected, tapping the wall behind them. The duck turned to glare at him.

"Did you have to ruin the moment? I was having a dramatic speech and you had to go and mess it up! Now, I'll like to finish it, if you don't mind." The hare shrugged as Daffy returned his attention to the criminals.

"As I was saying, I – AHHHHHH!" The duck was interrupted by Colonel Shuffle shoving him off the edge. Bugs gasped as his friend fell out of sight. There was a deafening silence as what just happened sunk in.

"Now, it's time to say your prayers, bunny! You don't know how long I've been waiting for this moment." Shuffle laughed as he lifted the barrel of his gun to Bugs's chest.

"Boss, I have a better idea. How about we make him jump? It'll be more frightening." McSlug suggested, gesturing over the ledge where Daffy fell just moments before. Colonel Shuffle considered this for a moment, then nodded.

"Alright rabbit, you heard him. Jump." Bugs looked over the edge timidly and turned back to the thugs.

"Look, how about we just forget about this whole thing? Let bygones be bygones and all that." Bugs offered, holding out his hand for the Southerner to shake.

"No dice, bunny. It's too late for that. Now jump!" He poked Bugs hard with his pistol, causing him to almost tip over the edge. Bugs quickly bent in the opposite direction to regain his balance. Suddenly, the police showed up. Bugs smiled when he saw them.

"What took you so long? I heard you coming out on the ledge as we went around the corner back there!" He exclaimed. One of the officers scratched the back of his neck nervously.

"Yeah, funny thing about that. . ." The man started. McSlug finally spoke up.

"What are we doing?! Who cares what took the cops so long to catch up? We still have a job to do!" Shuffle nodded and shoved the hare to the very edge, now standing behind Bugs so he could press the gun against his back.

"Okay, officers! Let us go and the bunny lives!" Bugs rolled his eyes. The officers mumbled to each other, trying to think of a plan.

"You know we can't do that, Shuffle. How about we talk about this after we get the rabbit back?" One of them said. Colonel Shuffle sighed in frustration.

"Let me think. . . No. I have a better plan. Observe." With that, Colonel Shuffle nudged his gun harder into Bugs's back, causing him to fall. He frantically tried to grab onto anything to stop his decent, but it was no use; Bugs was falling fast. As he braced himself for impact, he suddenly heard a voice above him.

"Grab on, Bugs!" He looked up to see Daffy swooping toward him. He quickly reached up and grabbed the duck's legs. Daffy flew higher up to avoid plummeting into the ground.

"Boy, am I glad to see you!"

"No need to thank me, Bugsy! It's all in a day's-" They suddenly crashed into the side of the building, creating cracks in the cement around them. After a moment, the two slowly peeled off and fell about 15 feet to the asphalt below.

"Okay, maybe I should've saved the fake modesty for later," Daffy grumbled, sitting up and rubbing his beak. Bugs brushed pieces of cement off his fur and looked at him.

"You think?" They stood up and began walking toward the front of the hotel. Porky noticed the two as soon as they rounded the corner and rushed over to meet them.

"B-B-Bugs! I'm glad to see you're ok-k-k, alive and well!" He stuttered with joy.

"I'm pretty happy about it myself." Bugs replied with a smirk. Daffy turned from the group for a second to see Colonel Shuffle and McSlug being escorted into the back of a police car. The duck tapped Bugs's shoulder.

"Hey, look!" Both Bugs and Porky looked in the direction Daffy was facing. They watched as the line of police cars proceeded to leave the scene, their sirens becoming fainter as they drove out of sight.

"Well, I guess that takes care of them." The rabbit noted.

"Yeah, I'm g-g-glad it's all over now," Porky added.

"Not quite," Daffy interjected, crossing his arms. "There's still the matter of how you got into this whole mess in the first place." Bugs grabbed a carrot from out of nowhere and nibbled on it.

"Alright, Daff. How about we get a bite to eat and I'll tell you guys there?" He suggested.

"Sounds g-g-good to me," Porky said. They started walking to the edge of the sidewalk to hail a cab.

"Let me guess. You're going to order carrot juice or something, right?" Daffy asked. Bugs smiled at him.

"You know me so well, doc." A taxi finally pulled over and the trio climbed into the backseat. After telling the driver their destination, they were off, leaving a cloud of dust behind them.

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 **Well, that's the end of the climax. I hope you liked it! :D Feel free to favorite, follow, and/or review! The next chapter will involve the resraurant and them finally getting back to the studio.**


	12. The Carrot Cafe

**YES! I'M FINALLY BACK! (confetti flies everywhere) :D Darn college work and writer's block delayed the story; sorry about that. :/ But here's the next chapter, so enjoy! It was originally almost 3,000 words, so I had to cut it into two chapters.**

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The journey to the restaurant was a mostly quiet one, the only sound being the taxi rolling over the many bumps and cracks in the road. The cab eventually hit a red light and slowed to a stop. Daffy glanced out the window to see a hot dog stand.

"Well, would you look at that? Since when is there a hot dog stand out at one o'clock in the morning?" He commented. Bugs, who was sitting in between him and Porky, looked out the window as well.

"I don't know, but looking at that stand makes me even hungrier." On cue, Bugs's stomach rumbled.

"H-H-How much f-further is this place?" Porky asked.

"We're almost there. It's only a few more blocks." Bugs replied. The light finally turned green and within five minutes, they arrived. The trio stepped out of the taxi and Porky went to pay the driver. Once the car drove off and the dust settled, Daffy read the sign.

"'The Carrot Café. How surprising." Daffy said flatly.

"I know, right?" Bugs replied in mock astonishment. Porky laughed.

"It s-s-sounds j-just fine, B-Bugs. Lead t-the way!" Bugs started to enter the building with the others close behind. A waiter noticed them enter and practically tripped on his own feet while rushing over from cleaning a table. He was tall and extremely thin with receding black hair and a rather sophisticated French-style mustache.

"Welcome, Monsieur Rabbit. The usual table?" He greeted Bugs, bowing slightly as he did so.

"Actually, we'll take a nice quiet booth in the back, Pierre." Bugs answered politely. Pierre bowed until his face almost hit the floor and then stood up straight, combing his already immaculate hair back with his hand.

"Limber fellow, isn't he?" The duck whispered to Porky, who nodded in agreement. The man led them to a booth in the very back of the restaurant and gave them some menus.

"I'll take your orders in a few minutes," Pierre said. He then left them alone to ponder about their choices. Daffy pointed at something on the inside front cover.

"Hey! They actually have non-carrot food items in here!" He exclaimed, relieved that he could order an edible dish. Bugs rolled his eyes.

"Hmm. . . I t-t-think I'll have a g-g-great big s-s-steak." Porky told the others, licking his lips in anticipation. Bugs only needed to glance at the menu for 10 seconds before making his decision.

"I'm going to have the double-layer carrot cake." Daffy stared at him with an unimpressed look but didn't say anything about it.

"I'll take the cheeseburger and fries." The duck stated. Once they made their decisions, the waiter came back and wrote down what they wanted. Since the restaurant was empty (which was to be expected considering it was now 1:30 AM), they were all enjoying their meals within just a few minutes.

"Mmm. . . This is delicious!" Daffy cried, taking another mouthful.

"My, t-this is certainly an ex-ex-exquisite dish," Porky commented, cutting the tender meat with a knife.

"I'm glad you like it." The rabbit replied, smiling. He always loved the double-layer carrot cake they served there, and this time was no different. The cake he ordered for himself was all gone in a short amount of time, and Bugs waited for the others to finish their meals. He was hoping that they wouldn't mention the whole thing about him getting caught; he promised that he would tell them, and he was going to, but they were all having a good time and didn't want to ruin the moment. Fortunately for him, they seemed too busy scoffing up their meals to remember, at least for the time being.

"Bugs, why didn't you tell us about this place before? I'm going to come back here whenever I'm on my lunch break." Daffy said, finishing the last of his cheeseburger and fries.

"M-M-Me, too," Porky added.

"I figured you would lose interest after hearing the name of the restaurant." Bugs responded, wiping his mouth with a napkin. Daffy considered this and shrugged.

"You're probably right. Why do they call this place The Carrot Café anyway?" The bunny simply pointed to the decorations while giving Daffy a smug look. The entire place had a rather obvious carrot theme – the tables, rugs, chandeliers, and even the dishes themselves were either plastered with carrots or colored like them. It reminded the duck of Bugs' dressing room. Speaking of which, he wondered how the bunny would react upon seeing his dressing room in shambles – what with all the commotion, nobody had bothered to fix it up yet, at least to his knowledge.

"Well now, that would it explain it, alright." He responded sheepishly. Porky yawned and stretched.

"Ah, w-well that was a good meal. N-N-Now I'm ready t-t-to hit the hay. We all have a l-l-lot of work to do t-t-tomorrow." Suddenly, Daffy remembered something.

"Wait! You didn't tell us how you wound up getting rabbit-napped!" Bugs flinched a little; he just wanted to head back to the studio and sleep on that nice, comfortable couch in his dressing room. Luckily, Porky noticed and decided to not push him.

"Hey, how about you j-j-just tell us in the m-m-morning? I'm sure Ch-Chuck would want to hear ab-b-bout it as well." He suggested, starting to get out of the booth. Daffy followed and scooted his way to the edge of the bench seat and stood up.

"Alright, I guess that works. I can't wait to see the look on his face when I tell him that I solved the case!" The duck turned to see Porky glaring at him and cleared his throat. "I mean, that we solved the case."

"Okay, then. We'll meet Chuck at 10 o'clock in his office. Until then, let's head back to the studio and get some shuteye." Bugs headed over to Pierre and paid the bill, then the three headed outside and hailed another taxi. They finally got back and immediately headed to their dressing rooms.

"G-Goodnight, you t-two!" Porky waved as he headed down the hallway where his dressing room was. The other two waved back.

"So, how was everything while I was gone?" Bugs asked as they rounded the corner to head to their rooms. Daffy sighed.

"Crazy."

"I'd like to hear about it sometime." Bugs smiled. He could only imagine just how much Daffy drove everybody insane. As they reached their rooms, Daffy remembered Bugs's dressing room being trashed. He stepped in front of Bugs before he could turn the doorknob.

"Uhh. . . Bugsy, pal. Before you go in there, I need to tell you something." Daffy started, trying to not sound nervous. Bugs looked at him suspiciously.

"Daff, just how crazy was everything around here while I was gone?" He inquired, crossing his arms.

"Well, it was really crazy." The duck replied, still trying to think of a way to explain to Bugs that his room was in shambles. Bugs nudged him out of the way and opened the door. Daffy stood out in the hall while Bugs stepped inside and reached for the light switch. The lights came on, revealing. . . a perfectly immaculate dressing room. Daffy gaped at it, completely perplexed as to how it got fixed up like nothing had happened.

"Ah, it feels good to be back!" Bugs sighed as he sat down on his couch. He noticed the duck staring in disbelief and cocked an eyebrow. "Why are you staring like that, doc? You've seen my room before." Daffy stumbled in, still trying to comprehend it.

"I don't get it!" He shouted, scratching his head.

"Don't get what, doc?"

"Your room had been searched, and when I came in here during my investigation, everything was trashed!" Bugs's eyes widened, but for the most part, he remained calm.

"Well, it's not that way anymore. What were they looking for, anyway?"

"They were trying to find the key to your safety deposit box for some reason."

"That was pointless since all I have in there are carrots."

"Yeah, I know. I found the key in your couch cushion and checked the box myself. I also discovered a piece of paper with the address to the Shady Arms Hotel on it." Daffy said. Bugs scratched his chin.

"That's weird. Who could've put that in my box? Colonel Shuffle and Slug McSlug didn't find the key, you did."

"That's the only thing I haven't figured out yet," Daffy admitted. "Maybe I'll figure that out in the morning." He started to leave, but something on Bugs's dresser caught his eye. He picked it up and examined it.

"Hey, Bugs. It's a letter for you." He handed it to him. The rabbit opened the envelope and read.

 _Bugs,_

 _I noticed your room was a mess and decided to clean it up for you. Be sure to thank that adorable bunch of feathers for taking the time to find you. He's definitely earned it._

 _Sincerely, Melissa_

The rabbit folded the note and put it down next to him.

"So, what did it say?" Daffy asked, leaning on Bugs's dresser.

"It explained who cleaned up my room. You know a girl named Melissa?" He smirked as he saw Daffy twiddle his thumbs in embarrassment.

"Oh, she's a duck that co-starred with me in one of my cartoons a few years back. She still hasn't gotten over me," He replied nervously. "Well, I'll see you at 10 o'clock." He walked out of the bunny's dressing room in a hurry and shut the door behind him. Bugs laughed to himself before he settled down on the couch and fell into a deep sleep.

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 **So, what do you think? I hope you all enjoyed this chapter! I promise the next chapter will explain everything regarding Bugs's disappearance. :)**


	13. Bugs Tells All

**Hello again! :) Thank you for the reviews on the previous chapter! Finally, the moment you've all been waiting for. . . Bugs will reveal the story behind the kidnapping at last! :D I hope you enjoy this chapter! I'll add some author's notes at the end.**

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 _ **The Next Morning. . .**_

Daffy slowly opened his eyes. He was sprawled out on his dressing room couch, still wearing his costume. He got up, headed over to the dresser and fixed himself up a bit, smoothing out all the wrinkles and creases on his trench coat. He glanced at his watch and saw that it was 9:30, which gave him a half-hour to get ready to present his case to Chuck Jones. He smiled and whipped out his trusty notepad and pencil and began writing out the events of the past few days in great detail. By the time he was done, it was just five minutes to 10. He put the notebook back in his pocket and exited his room to head to the director's office.

Chuck's office was located in another building on the studio lot, just a couple of minutes away from the set building. Daffy entered and headed down one of the many hallways to Chuck's door. He reached for the doorknob but paused.

"Hmm. . . I think I'll give him a more dramatic entrance." He tapped his chin, thinking.

Meanwhile, inside, Chuck was sitting at his desk drinking some coffee. It was nice and quiet in his office, until. . . BANG! The door swung open, slamming hard against the wall before slowing to a stop. Standing in the doorway was Daffy, with his leg still posed in a kicking position. He had an overly heroic look on his face, and the light from the hallway made his entire figure appear to be a silhouette.

"I. . . have returned." The duck reported in a dramatic voice. Chuck rubbed his face with his hands and sighed.

"I can see that." He replied. Daffy stood straight again and placed his hands on his hips.

"I figured that you would like to hear the good news."

"You found Bugs," Chuck stated.

"Yes, I found – hey, wait a minute. How did you know I found him?" A voice came diagonally to his left.

"What's up, duck?" Daffy turned to see Bugs, standing against the adjacent wall from the door. The duck glared at him.

"So, you decided to ruin my dramatic reveal of the case, huh? Well, I see how it is!" Daffy started to enter, but Bugs shut the door in his face. He looked down to see Daffy's foot sticking out from underneath it. He turned to Chuck, who didn't seem to care, and turned back around.

"You can talk about it in a minute! I just want to tell Chuck something first!" Bugs called through the door. Suddenly the door opened again, revealing Daffy leaning casually against a fake duck leg (like he did in "The Stupor Salesman").

"I was prepared for something like that," Daffy said matter-of-factly.

"It's fine, Bugs. Let Daffy in." Jones said, gesturing for them to sit in the two chairs he had in front of his desk. They closed the door and sat down.

"Do you want me to fill him in?" Bugs asked, grabbing a carrot from out of nowhere and nibbling on it.

"Go right ahead," Jones replied, leaning back in his chair.

"Okay. For the past week, I was staying at The Shady Palms Hotel."

"The Shady Palms Hotel? The five-star resort, complete with 10 swimming pools and smack dab in the middle of Hollywood's busiest neighborhood? Who paid for it?"

"I did," Chuck answered, taking another sip of coffee. Daffy looked at him.

"You? Why? Don't they charge $500 a night just to sleep out by the dumpster in the back?"

"It was all part of a publicity stunt, Daff. I would sneak into my hotel room after working here and come back early the next morning." Bugs explained.

"What kind of publicity stunt?"

"It was supposed to be that Bugs went missing, and that 'Rabbit Fire' was the last short that he filmed before he disappeared." Daffy listened carefully, putting all the pieces together.

"So, let me get this straight. If Bugs went missing, and 'Rabbit Fire' was the last episode with him in it, then you would get more people heading to the theaters to see it, right?"

"Exactly," Jones said. "But the plan fell through, starting with you disagreeing with the script."

"Hey, you can't expect me to like getting shot at by Elmer six times in only 10 minutes." Daffy retorted, raising his hands.

"Anyway, after you stormed off, Bugs managed to do most of his parts without you, and we decided that the publicity stunt would go on as planned, that is if he was able to get you to come back. But, as we all know, that didn't happen." Chuck looked at Bugs, who continued his side of the story.

"That night, I went back to the hotel as usual, but this time I ordered a glass of carrot juice. Apparently, someone heard about the publicity stunt, slipped me a mickey, and the next thing I knew I was tied up in that closet at the Shady Arms Hotel, with those two big palookas holding me for ransom."

"So, the fake disappearance turned into a real one," Daffy interjected. The others nodded.

"I knew something was wrong when Bugs didn't report back to the set the next morning, and I figured that you got revenge on Bugs like you said you would the previous day."

"I see. But I didn't even know about the publicity stunt. Who could've found out? I doubt Colonel Shuffle and Slug McSlug found out by themselves."

"We were trying to figure that out, too, Daffy. Maybe if you tell us about your investigation, we can solve the case." Bugs suggested. Daffy beamed.

"That's a great idea! Alright, it all started after you suspected me of being involved in Bugs's disappearance. . ." The duck stood on the chair he had been previously been sitting on and recalled the events of the previous 11 chapters, referring to his notebook from time to time.

 _ **Four Hours Later. . .**_

". . .And that's how we all wound up here." Daffy finished, taking a deep breath. Bugs and Chuck stared at him with bloodshot eyes and tried to take in everything that Daffy said.

"Uhh. . . Thank you, Daffy. I think that's more than we need to find the last piece of the puzzle." Chuck finally said, standing up and stretching.

"Glad to help!" Daffy replied, oblivious. Bugs crossed his legs and tried to think of anything that stuck out in Daffy's story. He snapped his fingers, causing the others to glance at him.

"Wait a cotton-picking minute! I remember seeing a guy working in the bank that matches Daffy's description the afternoon before I got kidnapped!"

"You mean the big guy with receding black hair and a mean look on his face?"

"Yeah, that's the one. I went to refill my supply of carrots in my safety deposit box and he led me to the back. He must have slipped that piece of paper in the box after I left. The bank clerks have keys to all the boxes in there, right?"

"As a matter of fact, they do," Jones answered, frowning. "I think I'll have a talk with Mr. Warner about that." At that moment, the office door opened, revealing Porky, still wearing his costume, but looking rather tired. He had five o'clock shadow, his suit was all wrinkled, and he was leaning against the doorway with his hands in his pockets.

"Mr. Ch-Ch-Chuck, sir. I-I-I'd like to have a word with you." Jones rolled his eyes.

"Here we go again. . ." He sighed. Porky stumbled in and put his hands on Bugs's and Daffy's chairs to steady himself.

"So, what did I miss?"

* * *

 **Ugh. . . Darn Porky showed up just after they finished. :[ Oh, well. XD Now, for a few notes. The basic idea for the publicity stunt gone wrong was inspired by an episode of The Three Stooges. I figured it made sense for Bugs because seriously, how is he going to get caught unless he's caught off-guard? As always, I appreciate the reviews, follows, and favorites; keep them coming! :)**


	14. The Last Piece of the Puzzle

**Hi, everyone! As promised, here is the next chapter! This one takes care of all the loose ends that weren't covered in the last chapter. Onward!**

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After spending another half hour summarizing what they had just finished saying, Porky was all caught up.

"G-G-Gosh, that's terrible!" The pig exclaimed. Chuck Jones reached for the telephone on his desk.

"Well, I guess this is the perfect time to ask the mystery guy to come over." He picked up the receiver and dialed the studio's bank. He talked to the person on the other end for a couple of minutes and then hung up.

"So? Is he coming?" Daffy questioned eagerly. Chuck nodded.

"Yep. He'll be over in a minute."

"Great! I can't wait to see the look on his face when we give him the third degree." Everybody gave the duck strange looks.

"Uhh. . . We're just going to ask him a few questions, Daff." Bugs stated. Just then, there was a knock on the door. Bugs and Daffy got up and hid behind some filing cabinets in the back corner of the room behind Chuck's desk. Porky straightened out his costume and stood against the side wall.

"Come in!" Chuck called. The door opened to reveal the bank clerk from before. He looked quite happy for someone that both Bugs and Daffy described as being the exact opposite.

"Hello, Mr. Jones! You wanted to talk to me?" The man asked, squeezing himself through the doorway.

"Yes. I wanted to ask you about the disappearance of Bugs Bunny." Jones responded. The clerk looked shocked.

"Bugs Bunny has gone missing? How horrible!" From his hiding place, Daffy rolled his eyes. The guy obviously lacked talent in the faking surprise department.

"I know, it's a tragedy. I recently heard that you showed him to the safety deposit box area of the studio's First National Bank a few days ago, is that correct?" Chuck continued. The man tapped his chin.

"Yes, I remember. He was holding a bunch of carrots and wanted to restock his inventory." He recalled.

"Was there anything strange about the carrots? Such as a slip of paper tucked in between them?"

"What? No, of course not!" The man started to get nervous, biting his nails and sweating profusely. "Why are you asking me all these stupid questions?" Chuck Jones took this as an opportunity to cut to the chase.

"I believe you had something to do with Bugs going missing. I think you slipped that piece of paper with the address of the Shady Arms Hotel into his box, then tore up Bugs's room."

"No! I tore up both Bugs's and Daffy's rooms!" He threw his hand over his mouth, realizing what he had just said, but it was too late. He grew pale when he saw Bugs and Daffy step out from behind the filing cabinets.

"So, you were the one that messed up my beautiful room, huh?" Daffy asked, fuming. The man sighed.

"Alright, I confess! I wanted to help in the kidnapping so I could get my revenge! You didn't think I was going to let you get away with making me look like a dope in 'Nasty Quacks', did you?" Daffy's eyes widened; he finally recognized the man now.

"You're the guy that played the father of the girl that raised me in that short!" He cried, pointing at him.

"Yes! I slipped that piece of paper in Bugs's carrots before he put them in his safety deposit box. The kidnappers wanted the key so they could send it to Daffy and lead him to them; I couldn't take the bank copy off the premises, so I searched for Bugs's key. I couldn't find it, though, and I eventually found out that Daffy had it. So, Colonel Shuffle and Slug McSlug contacted Daffy directly on the phone and told him to bring the ransom money, and the rest you all know." The rotund man finished.

Chuck blinked in shock. Porky and Bugs seemed just as stunned. This was a lot to take in in one sitting; if it wasn't such a bad circumstance, it could have made a great movie. The unnamed character noticed their expressions and attempted to make his escape. He turned and ran toward the door, but Daffy was faster. He ran past him and stuck his foot out. The man tripped and smashed through the office door, taking a small amount of the wall with him. The man faceplanted on the ground, knocking himself out. Daffy observed the damage and looked at Chuck nervously.

"Umm. . . Sorry about that." The others joined him and looked at the fat guy lying face first in the hallway. Jones put a hand on Daffy's shoulder.

"It's okay, Daffy," He smiled. "I think we can safely say this whole mess is over now." The others grinned as well.

"T-T-Thank goodness for that!" Porky replied. Chuck called security and the third accomplice to the kidnapping was arrested and taken away.

"What a complicated case this was, am I right?" The duck asked the others. "I mean, on one hand, this was a publicity stunt gone wrong, and on another, a clever plot to frame me for kidnapping, and then on yet another hand, a way to get revenge on both me and Bugs."

"T-T-The nerve of some people." The pig added. Bugs placed his hands on his hips.

"Well, I think I've had my fair share of mysteries for a long time to come." Daffy slapped him on the back.

"You said it, buster! Now let's all relax in the studio's lounge." The four of them exited the office, relieved that the events and insanity from the past several days were now finally behind them.

* * *

 **I know, it's kind of a short chapter, but I think it filled in the remaining pieces quite nicely. :)**


	15. Epilogue

**Well, it's finally here! :D The final chapter of "Daffy Duck: Prime Suspect". I can't thank all of you enough for the generous support and patience you've given me throughout the course of writing this. :) It's because of you that I keep writing stories.**

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The following day was enjoyable for everyone. Bugs was back and Daffy finally decided to go along with the script, much to the surprise of the production crew. Elmer was already on set, posing with his shotgun. Chuck Jones was also there, sitting in his directing chair and reading over the script. He checked his watch. It was nine o'clock. He looked up to see Bugs and Daffy enter, talking and getting along for once. Daffy was no longer wearing his detective outfit since the case was now solved. Chuck called Daffy to come over. Bugs went on stage and began chatting with Elmer while Daffy approached the director.

"Hey there, Chuck!" The black duck greeted him. The director smiled.

"Hi, Daffy. I thought you would like to know that I have considered your request." He paused so Daffy could remember what he was referring to. The duck's eyes widened.

"You mean about the pay raise and the new bulletproof vests?" He inquired, excitement in his voice.

"Yep, and I've decided that you certainly earned it, considering all that's happened. Here's your new vest," He pulled out a sturdy black bulletproof vest and gave it to Daffy. "And you'll now receive just as much money as Bugs." He smirked as the duck's pupils changed into big dollar signs.

"Oh, boy! Thank you, Chuck!" He gave the man one of his signature kisses and hopped around the set, cheering the whole time. Jones laughed and shook his head. After Daffy calmed down and put the vest on (which blended right in with his feathers), Chuck grabbed his director cone and talked into it.

"Alright, everyone, get in position!" Bugs jumped into the fake rabbit hole, Elmer moved a few feet away, and Daffy stood several inches behind him, just out of the camera's view. The hunter turned around and smiled mischievously at him.

"Don't think I forgot about you getting me in twouble by making me shoot that stage light." He whispered. Daffy smirked back at him.

"Oh, yeah? Give me your best shot, Elmer. If you're lucky, you'll actually hit me this time." Elmer grew red with rage, but couldn't do anything, at least not yet. Chuck spoke into the cone yet again

"Okay, lights, camera, and. . . ACTION!"

 _ **The End**_

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 **. . . And that's a wrap. :) So, now you all know the story behind one of the most memorable Looney Tunes cartoons in history. ;) I'm so glad I fulfilled my promise to you guys and finished this story! Can you believe this whole thing is almost 20,000 words?! :O That makes it my longest fanfiction thus far! It's kind of sad that it's all over now, but that means I can now move on to write more fun stories for you to enjoy. :) From now on, I am going to write out the entire story first, and then post each chapter on a schedule; that way, writer's block doesn't prevent me from continuing the story. Take that, writer's block! XD Well, that's pretty much it. If you liked this story, I want to hear from you (no matter how old this story gets)! I appreciate getting feedback and don't forget to favorite! :)**


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